Living Free - Mar. 4, 2013

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:6-8 NIV

Thoughts for Today:

Codependency can be compared to seasickness. If you have ever been seasick, the image will have an especially powerful impact.

One cause of seasickness is the motion of the boat, tossed about by waves. But the primary reason people get seasick is that they don't have a stationary object on which to focus. The horizon moves up and down, and the water keeps moving too. That causes the balance mechanism to overload, and the results can be quite unpleasant.

The key word is focus.

Consider this …

Are we focused on Christ, or are we trying to focus on the circumstances that keep turning and swirling and changing? When a loved one is trapped in a life-controlling problem, we can be drawn into focusing all our attention and energy on that problem. This leads to all kinds of unpleasantness. But when we focus on Christ, all areas of life come into balance, including our relationships.

We all need to look at whether we are helping or harming the struggling people in our lives. Although we cannot change overnight, we can begin the process. We can start by telling our loved ones we are going to stop harming them by trying to fix their problems or protecting them from the consequences of their bad choices. Then we must turn our focus to Christ and allow him to develop the much-needed balance in our life.

Prayer

I have focused on circumstances and allowed them to overwhelm me. Help me turn my focus back to Jesus. I know that only then will I find peace and calm. Only then can I become the person you have designed me to be. And only then will I be able to help others; your way. In Jesus' name . . .

These thoughts were drawn from …

Close—But Not Too Close by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee. A complement to the Concerned Persons small group study, this booklet is written primarily for those who want to help someone close to them who is enslaved by the stronghold of a life-controlling issue. It is also designed to help someone who is suffering the consequences of a loved one's problem.

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